July 9, 2007

Michelle Goodman, author of The Anti 9 to 5 Guide (Seal Press), speaking on
"How to Cherry-Pick the Best Clients and Grow Your Freelance Business"
www.anti9to5guide.com

In other words, Michelle said, "How to make sure your clients don't suck," because choosing clients/growing business go hand-in-hand.

Michelle's golden rules on picking clients and growing business:

1. Don't snub the bread and butter work that isn't your first choice but pays the bills

2. Cultivate a couple "cash cow" clients who give you ongoing projects

3. Cultivate 2-3 niches/areas of expertise

4. Recycle former employers (they're often a good source of work)

5. Screen/research clients before getting into bed with them

6. Learn to say no to work that isn't appealing (surprisingly hard to do as a newbie)

7. (And on the flipside) Don't be afraid to work for free from time to time, to invest in your career

8. Avoid or negotiate down non-compete clauses

9. Have a backup plan for where you're going to get the cash

Other thoughts:

- Have samples ready. Most places will want some electronic version. Having a Web site with samples on it is ideal.
- Any time someone wants to reserve you they should pay for that (by way of a retainer fee) and that should motivate them to give you that amount of work
- Be careful about making your rates public or posting them on your site because they vary from project to project

The above notes are an outline taken from Michelle's talk. For more information, visit Michelle's Web site, www.anti9to5guide.com.